Thank you for your email. I have scheduled this topic for next Tuesday’s
City Council agenda. Because the language of the Trump administration’s
Executive Order to withhold funds from “sanctuary” jurisdictions is so
ambiguous, it makes it hard for any jurisdiction to know whether it might
be viewed as a “sanctuary” by the federal government The result of this
ambiguity is that many jurisdictions, both conservative and liberal, do not
know if they might be targeted for defunding under this Executive Order.
This creates extreme uncertainty for their communities and in their ability
to make fiscal plans. Thus, I am recommending that the City of Menlo Park
join amicus briefs in support of both Santa Clara County and the City and
County of San Francisco in their litigation challenging the Trump
administration’s Executive Order. The broader topic of whether Menlo Park
should become a sanctuary city will be on the City Council agenda for its
meeting on April 4th. Again, thank you for your input on this important
topic.

> Honorable Council Members,
>
> I am writing to request that Menlo Park support Santa Clara County's
> litigation to
> protect funding for for "Sanctuary Cities."
>
> I am glad to see jurisdictions in our region take initiatives to protect
> residents who are neighbors and contributing members of society. Cities
> should be able to use discretion to direct local law enforcement to focus
> on efforts that improve public safety, and to refrain from overly stringent
> immigration enforcement that harms the safety of our community by
> eliminating trust in local police.
>
> Santa Clara County's initiative to protect cuts to federal funding is
> welcome and in line with the values that our city should demonstrate.
>
> Please join the Amicus brief.
>
> Sincerely,
> - Adina
>
> Adina Levin
> Menlo Park
>
Received on Sun Mar 12 2017 - 20:16:28 PDT